Reply to Fairfax County: McLean Citizens Association demands smaller class sizes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Title one classes are capped around 21 students so she doesn't have to worry.[/quote]

They are only capped (and I'm not sure what the cap is) until 3rd grade. And then there is no cap.

I don't think it's right to have classes over 30 kids. I think a cap of 25 is asking too much. I think suggesting that non-Title 1 classes be capped at only 4 more kids than Title 1 classes is preposterous because the needs at impoverished schools are so great. I think 28-30 per class is reasonable and that there should be no more than 30, regardless of the FRL percentage. Assuming the classrooms can accommodate 30 desks, of course. Fire Marshals, anyone?

I would support a measure that would cap class sizes at 30, but would not support taking away needs-based staffing.

I could be wrong, but i wonder if those classes that have a low number of kids is driven by the caps. Hypothetically, if there are 45 kids in a school area in a Title 1 school and the cap is indeed 21 per class, then it's not legal to have only 2 classes of 23 and 22 kids. There would have to be 3 classes of 15 each.  Either that, or you have to combine grade levels in one class, which is not ideal, and would probably be difficult in a high FRL, possibly high ESL setting.

Taxes may have to go up, which I would support. That being said, I think developer proffers have to go way up as well (which is something the School Board is looking at), particularly if they want to develop in areas without sufficient school capacity.

The only other option is redrawing the boundary lines. This might mean taking some kids out of the 35-kid McLean classrooms and putting them in other schools, which I bet would meet resistance (just read any thread in which someone suggests moving kids to Falls Church HS). Parents rightfully complain about too-large class size, but don't want to pay more taxes and don't want to be the ones who have to move to schools with available capacity because the schools are perceived as lesser. So what's the solution? Are there empty classrooms in McLean just waiting for FCPS to allow them to hire another teacher? If not, then where are those extra kids going? A trailer?[/quote]

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